Full Tangs?

[L6steel]

Some
times when I make a full tang knife, when it's finished, if you run your fingers around the handle and across the tang, it feels like the tang is sticking above the handle. I always cut the handles large and then sand them down to the tang. Anyone have any ideas what might be causing this? Thanks and take care!! Michael

Cause I wanted to see what it looked like!!!

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"Always think of your fellow knife makers as partners in the search for the perfect blade, not as people trying to compete with you and your work!"

[This message has been edited by L6STEEL (edited 02-04-2000).]

 

[Dr.Lathe]

L6,
My personal stag handled hunter expands and contracts more that any knife I have ever seen. When the knife has been on a hunting trip in northern NY the -26deg temps shrank the stag WELL below the edge of the tang. Here in FL in 100deg heat and humidity, it grows well above the edge of the tang! In normal room temperature, it always returns back to normal. That's whats important

I cant believe the glue has held through years of this!
Neil

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[mikeS]

Michael, I believe you and I share a similar problem. When working the contour of the wood the wood sands off much quicker than the exposed edge of the tang. Sometimes too much wood is removed when removing scratches. This is when I notice the raised tang. A quick return to the grinder, carefully and squarely to the flat platen or disc will correct it.

 

[Ed Caffrey]

Neil and Mike are both right....each is a contributing factor. The bottom line is....any natural handle material will shrink and expand, period. I remeber when stabilized materials first became available and the claims that there would be no expansion or contraction, and that any material that this process was used on would be completly stabile. Bologna! Every piece of stabilized material I have used has either expanded or contracted over time, and with varying humidity. Another thing that occurs is the heating and cooling of the different materials when sanded. Each has it's own heat to expansion and cooling to contraction ratio. Stag is a prime example. Work it slow and deliberate. If it gets warm, lay it down and let it cool before you continue. And never, no matter how badly you want to, cool your handle material in water so you can grind on it sooner, this only expands on the problem.


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Ed Caffrey
"The Montana Bladesmith"
http://www.caffreyknives.com

 

[L6steel]

Great advie guys, thanks!!! Take care! Michael

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"Always think of your fellow knife makers as partners in the search for the perfect blade, not as people trying to compete with you and your work!"

 

[T. J.]

Several knives I made back in the summer have this problem now. Even the very dense woods, pink ivory, bocote, and ziricote show shrinkage in the winter. I'm hoping to minimize this by using stabilized materials now, but probably not totaly eliminate it.

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